This is a huge deal for folks who love both gaming and Linux, because there previously weren’t many options for good titles on their computers. Having Steam on a Linux box unlocks a plethora of titles, including Team Fortress 2 (which is free), Half-Life, Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike Source, and many, many more. Of course, Big Picture is part of the Linux client, so users can bring Steam into the living room on their Ubuntu computers.

Yes, Ubuntu, because the client is designed to deliver its “best experience” on Ubuntu, with, incidentally, NVIDIA graphics. (AMD, however, is not slouching on this; the company just released Catalyst drivers for its Radeon cards and embedded graphics.)

Until February 21st, Valve is offering a deep discount on more than 50 Linux titles, to the tune of 50-75% off, which is proof that Valve loves Linux users and wants them to be happy.